The present invention relates to the field of adjustable furniture. In particular, the present invention is directed to a table having a mechanism to raise and lower the desktop portion of the table as desired by a user and which mechanism automatically locks into place after the desktop is raised or lowered and which optionally supports a computer processor and may be equipped with wheels for portability of said table.
Adjustable furniture, including adjustable height tables, have a long history of gradual innovation and improvement. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,055,912 issued to Doud et al. on May 2, 2000 discloses and claims an adjustable height ready-to-assemble table having a working area disposed between two upright support members and mounting brackets which can be manually adjusted to support the working area at different heights relative to a floor. The Doud et al. patent references other patents, including U.S. Pat. No. 327,413 issued to Rohrbach in September, 1885.
Other prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 5,823,120 issued to Holmquist on Oct. 20, 1998 in which a stationary, vertically adjustable desk includes a desktop supported above a support stand. The Holmquist patent discloses and claims a first and a second gas spring means including a handle for manual operation of the gas spring means. Each of the gas spring means includes a valve for locking and unlocking movement of fluid or gas inside the gas spring means which is attached to the handle.
A continued need in the art exists for improved adjustable height tables, in particular, such tables that are portable and mobile, that support current technological needs of users (e.g., computer equipment) and that provide for different ranges of height adjustment (e.g., low-to-the-floor for children and greater spacing from the floor for adults). In addition, such improved adjustable tables should also accommodate all variety of chairs, including wheelchairs, for users of the table. Such a table should provide an easy to reach adjustment mechanism and should impart force to assist adjustment of the elevation of the table. The imparted force should be adjustable by the user so that very heavy objects placed on the table are adequately supported. Finally, such an improved table should be compact during shipment or delivery to the user, should be easy to assemble, and readily adjustable.
The present invention addresses the continued need in the art described above. That is, the present invention teaches, describes, enables, illustrates and claims an improved adjustable height working area that is portable and mobile, that supports current technological needs of users (e.g., computer equipment) and that provides for different ranges of height adjustment (e.g., low-to-the-floor for children and greater spacing from the floor for adults). In addition, the present invention also may be configured to accommodate all variety of chairs, including wheelchairs, for users and/or operators of the improved desktop of the present invention. The present invention provides an easy to reach adjustment height mechanism that imparts force to assist adjustment of the height of the working area and the imparted force is adjustable by the user so that very heavy objects placed on the table are adequately supported during adjustment of the height of the table. Finally, the improved table of the present invention is compact during shipment and delivery to the user, and is very easy to assemble and operate.